The Gypsy Barron
by LadyGranuaille
Summary: Inspired entirely by a song by the same name; written in old fairy tale style, ie, Hans Christian Andersen. Follow the rise, fall and overall triumph of my OC, Demetrius Jerzay, as he makes use of his talents and discovers the downfalls of his faults.
1. Chapter 1

Since his childhood, he had not been able to exist amongst the rest of society

Since his childhood, he had not been able to exist amongst the rest of society. Having been born among wealth, he was separated from the lower classes. Then, the choices made in his adolescence distanced him from his own family. But he was still a Barron by title and capital. In fact, he was Barron Demetrius of Jerzay, currently incommunicado with the family Jerzay; but drawing upon the jurisprudence of the family's name nonetheless. He needed it, that name, given that his current venture required a fair bit of capital, and the creditors were not likely to deal with his alter ego-the Gypsy Barron.

That name had come from the most circumstantial choice of his adolescence. It had begun as a simple test on his personal abilities in the family business-trade.

At the rather miscreant age of 17, Demetrius had decided, in utter disobedience to his step-father's will, to try his own hand at trade. The family Jerzay's deep rooted position in providing finer goods for the noble houses of Wroan ensured that those belonging to the family itself need never worry about the hassle of actually bartering and other such trifles.

Demetrius did not like the more sophisticated business matters reserved for the Jerzay men. Which made sense, given he was not in fact a Jerzay. His real father had died years ago, something to do with a quest. His poor mother had had to remarry, or doom her children to being beggars. He had inherited his true father's hunger for adventure and challenge, but it was luckily tempered by a sensibility stemming from his mother's line.

So, he defied his step-father's wishes and went into the markets to partake in the take and be taken world of bartering. But to his disappointment, no fair chance was to be given to the young noble at determining his own skill. This was because no matter which merchant he dealt with-they always gave him the best deal, did not try any deception. They feared punishment from the house of Jerzay, their own patrons. The lad felt cheated of any real test of ability. But he carried on nonetheless, and made a fine income at it. For two summers, he dealt in silks, leathers, fine soaps, and anything else the gentry desired.

Over these months, he had indeed grown bored, but had also built up quite a favorable reputation among the other minor houses. In fact, people all about the Wroan district had begun to associate the Jerzay name with rising fortune and opportunity. His step-father had somewhat forgiven Demetrius for slighting him. The lad's slanderous actions actually improved the family's business. Some of the largest shipments had been secured by Demetrius, so no payment was ever made to a middleman. Because of this, the Jerzay family coffers were filling out quite nicely. The Jerzay heir had become increasingly popular, with no enemies in sight. He was well liked and appreciated by nearly all those in Wroan.

Suffice it to say, given his coming of age was nigh, many wealthy merchants were now feverishly introducing him to their often lovely daughters. Twice, sometimes three times a week, he was cornered into dining at a stranger's table. The wives usually cajoled him into consuming more than his share of food that had been laced with what was surely a moon's worth of wages in spices. Shortly thereafter, the pretty young maiden was put on display-the first time he had been put through this trial, Demetrius had been quite astounded. The girls would sing, or dance, or play flute. But no matter how chaste their actions seemed, it was in their eyes that spoke in a more direct persuasion. The lad had not yet known how seductive a woman's eyes could be.

If it had not been for the fact that he dined at yet another merchant's home the following night, the Jerzay heir would likely have begged that first maid to be his wife. His life continued thus for two and a half moons-until he had visited the home of each of the higher merchants more times than he could count, and even into some of the less prominent homes of Wroan. But then he met Sirinus.

She was dazzling in her beauty and her presence was as sweet as a gentle breeze through a garden. But greater than this was her voice. As if her golden streaked locks, and sparkling blue eyes were not enough temptation for any man, the tones of her sonorous voice were breathtaking enough to settle the most free-spirited of men into marriage. Sirinus was of the high class merchant family Buldoon, who dealt the precious metals in Wroan. Sir and Lady Buldoon were full delighted when Demetrius was to dine at their manor a third time-more, according to Lady Buldoon's sources, times than he had eaten with any other family! Surely this heir to the Jerzay fortune was coming back not only for the provisions, but also for the young maid Sirinus.

Indeed, it was this intention that Demetrius carried in his heart when he signed an affirmative to the summons request to dine at the Buldoon residence. The date itself was not for three more days, but since the engagement was as good as set, he figured he ought to pay a visit to the maid in question. Rather than writing his permission, as was custom, he decided to surprise her. Demetrius knew that Sirinus took almost daily walks in the glade adjacent to the town at this time of year. It was renown throughout the town that she would gather flowers to wreath nosegays for her mother.

However, what else she did in those afternoons was not so well renowned. In fact, none but she and the stable boy, Fince, knew of how she occupied the rest of the day's hours.

The 'maid' Sirinus was really no maid at all, but one wicked-hearted girl who had learnt the credit of her beauty at a young age. Since, she had made most use of it to her own designs. One would assume that marriage to one wealthy and coming of age young Barron-to-be would fit in quite nicely with her designs, but alas, no. Sirinus fancied herself in love with the horse groom, Fince. True, he had strength and cunning looks as well carved as any woman could like, but he was of low class, and, sadder still, of no great intelligence. Sirinus knew this-and did not care one whit. This was because she thought that intelligence and wealth would probably only spoil her adoring Fince, just as it had spoiled her. And despite her wickedness, she rather liked the idea of preserving his innocence. However, his innocence was only spared on her part in respect to monetary greed and useless knowledge of anything but her own flesh. It was in this fashion that her many afternoon hours were spent. He would meet her in the glade, on horseback, and together, they'd ride out to a small cabin in the wood. They would waste no time in consummating their love daily, but would linger in the small hours after, talking the nonsense that lovers are oft to speak of, putting off the time when they would have to depart from one another. It was during this most sweet of times that Sirinus would make use of by wreathing the nosegays she was so famous for. Whether or not what they shared ought to be labeled as true love, or love at all, is not of any importance. What is important is that Sirinus valued what they had, for it was a secret, hidden away from any to know of, and that made it much more precious. When first their meetings started, she had been ashamed if someone should find out, but now her pride had chased that away. Now, it was only the discovery itself, and the shattering of their perfect dream world, that she feared.


	2. Chapter 2

Not So Happy Ending, At World's End

It was near the mid of the warm season when Demetrius had decided to surprise her, and rode out to the glade on horseback himself. When he did not see her, he assumed he was too early, so he walked his steed to a small tree, and there waited in the shade. It was not long before Sirinus came along, carrying a small bouquet, and singing a melodious tune. Rather than ride out to meet her, Demitrius stayed hidden, so that she could her finish the song. But it was folly; from the opposite direction that she had come, came another man on horseback. Being a Barron's son, Demitrius did not recognize the much lower classed Fince. The other man rode up along Sirinus, who stretched out her arms as he came by, and he scooped her up. It was all in less than a breath that she had been set upon his lap, bouquet in hand, and he had galloped off into the woods with her. For the moment, the young man was stunned. Here, the maid he had been courting and only moments before imagined himself marrying, was indeed already wooed by another! A less fool-hardy man would have resigned any claims, and gone home to pick another bride from amongst the many options left to him, but not Demetrius. He gathered the reins in hand, and dug the heels of his boots into his mount, to take off after the assailant. It was not hard to follow them, for the woods were not thick. But they were thick enough that the branches broken by Fince and his mount were loud enough to cover up any noise made by Demetrius. When the former saw the small cabin ahead, he slowed his mount and waited behind a shrub to observe what happened next.

Sirinus hopped lightly down off of the man's lap, and turned to face him. He followed suit, then swept her up into his arms and carried her into the small hut. Demetrius could not believe his eyes. At first, he had thought perhaps the girl was taken vantage of-against her will even, into these woods! Momentarily, he had fancied he might sally forth, saber drawn, and save her from some wicked taker of her virtue, but no. She was as willing and suppliant as a heifer in the rut. Demetrius knew that he had seen more than enough to satisfy any doubt of what now occurred in the hovel, but something kept him there all the same. Perhaps it was one pathetic clinging hope that only innocence enveloped the lovely Sirinus. Nonetheless, he dismounted and approached the building. It stood barely as tall as he at its peak, and was perhaps twice as long and wide. The only door was now closed, and passage inside at this point would be quite rash. While he was a Barron's son, the other man had appeared quite a bit stronger and taller than Demetrius. He knew that his status would not protect him in the woods without witnesses. Instead, he looked around the outside of the structure for a window. He found one, and peered inside. His eyes could barely tear away from the scene within. But something forced him to look away and quickly regain his horse to leave. The brute was facing the opposite direction, and therefore could not see Demetrius. And while Sirinus was positioned such that she could not have missed his face had she looked, she did not immediately see him, for she was currently distracted. But it was at that moment that Demetrius' horse had caught wind of the strange man's own mount, and had decided to whinny. Instantly, Sirinus looked out the window before her and caught sight of Demetrius. He quickly ducked away, and disappeared.

The following two days found Demetrius in a confusing fog of emotions. He felt jealousy, anger, sorrow, loss, hope, frustration, and many others he could not name. The Barron and Baroness Jerzay did not know what confused their son so, until they received the confirmation for him to dine with family Buldoon.

"Ah, so he is nervous about seeing little Sirinus, don't you agree my love?"

Barron Jerzay looked over to his wife. A lovely vision of elven heritage woven throughout her appearance and he smiled. Inquisitiveness was part of her nature, and she would not be satisfied until her curiosity was calmed.

"It must be that, my dear. Why else would he pace so and ignore the work he normally enjoys so much?"

They smiled to each other. Finally their mischievous son would settle down and do the Jerzay name justice.

The night of the dinner arrived almost out of thin air. Demetrius sighed deeply as he closed the door of the small carriage that would carry him to the Buldoon estate.

An awkward silence canopied over the table between them the night of the dinner. Master Buldoon joyously attempted to engage the two 'lovers' in conversation, but to no avail. Contented that their silence was surely a sign a timid love, he decided to speed things up.

"My good boy, would you like to take a smoke with me, out of doors?"

Knowing the inevitable was about to occur, Demetrius swallowed nervously. He knew he could not refuse, this was Lord Buldoon's house and if he wanted to take a smoke with a guest, he would.

"I do not smoke, but I will join you nonetheless"

Demetrius could hear Sirinus and her mother taking their tea in the dining room, even though he was outside. Lord Buldoon produced a small leather coverlet of cigars. Demetrius could not help but smirk a little. He had been the one to secure the shipment and delivery of the both the cigars and their case. From the same leather pouch, the man pulled a tindertwig, struck it and lit one of the cigars.

Lord Buldoon drew a few lengths from the cigar before turning to Demetrius.

"These are high stock, correct?"

"Yes, milord. The Jerzay family always obtains the highest quality for our customers."

"Then I would expect nothing less from yourself when it comes to matters outside of business"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III:

Demetrius knew what this man was referring to; he wished his daughter to inherit some of that Jerzay wealth via marriage to the heir apparent. If not for what he'd witnessed, Demetrius himself would be the one begging the Lord Buldoon for his daughter's hand. The images of what he'd seen in that little thatched cottage in the woods again passed through his memory. A clatter of silver spoons reminded him of his present position. Inside, Sirinus and her mother cleaned up the spilt tea. Lord Buldoon seemed content to puff away at his cigar all night, but Demetrius knew that he had to be firm in his refusal. And soon.

He took a deep breath, sighed heavily, than turned to the imposing man,

"Milord, I believe we are both quite aware of what you intend with your speech. You refer to my taking your daughter as wife"

Here, the man seemed a little confounded, but quickly recovered. It was not customary to speak so directly about such matters.

"I beseech you, sir, that this would not be the wisest course of action at this time"

Here Lord Buldoon's color began to change. The heavy set man reddened, first in the cheeks, now the color bloomed outwards to the lapels of his finely wrought vest. A rogue smile almost enveloped Demetrius mouth when he recalled that he had secured the shipment containing that silk.

"Let me explain, milord-"

"Well, young sir, you had better! All this time dining on our finest meats and cheeses, stealing all the attentions of our fair daughter, and after all this you'll not have her?"

Demetrius began to realize the folly of his plan. He should have cancelled the invitation with the Buldoon house and then let their connections gradually degrade. This quick destruction of relations was bad business-and dangerous.

"The girl is radiant, has a good hand at sewing, a fine singing voice, and I'll swear on the purity of her person"

And now Demetrius saw how terribly dangerous a situation he was in. He looked past the Lord Buldoon and saw the girl in question. She was feeding scraps to the family's guard dogs. Fearsome beasts. But this was not his worry. He could see now, when she was standing, that Sirinus had become a good deal more rounded in her belly than when he had first dined with the Buldoons. For how long had she deceived her parents of her innocence while making love to the stable boy?

If he refused her, her impending status as an unwed woman with child would doom her to be an old maid, or worse, to marry that foolish groom. If he married her despite his knowledge of her wickedness, he may be dishonored by her being with child so soon in their marriage.

Or a much worse third possibility- he refused her and was accused of being the one who had pierced her maiden head and made her heavy with his seed. He could be cast out of his family's holdings, shunned from the entire territory of Wroan. All the success he'd achieved in the last few years wasted in one quick, faulty move.

"I-I said at this time, milord"

The man stopped mid-sentence; he'd been listing and relisting the many qualities that made Sirinus a fine choice of wife. Demetrius couldn't help but compare it to how a tradesman would advertise his wares.

Demetrius cleared his throat and continued, hoping his plan would pan out in time.

"I mean to say that my business demands that I secure several deals abroad, away from Wroan. I would not want to restrict fair Sirinus' opportunities to find a suitor more-to _her_ liking."

The color in Lord Buldoon's face faded from red to pink back to its original shade of doughy flour.

"That is to say, I am not yet sure how long my journey will take. It would be unfair to Sirinus, as well as yourself, to attach her to something that may not return until she has passed the proper age for such matters"

Demetrius watched carefully as the Lord Buldoon calculated the gains and losses in the gamble. He could continue his harassment of the Jerzay heir and secure an engagement, only to find the man had been killed, or worse yet, found a more suitable wife in other parts. It was poor etiquette, but not unheard of, for a man to break off an engagement. For a woman to do so was highly subject to suspicion, if not impossible. It would mar the Buldoon family's reputation greatly for their daughter to be so publicly humiliated. Alternatively, he could hold off on the entire business until the man returned, alive, available and still profitable as a son-in-law, and in the mean time, see that there wasn't a more profitable heir to marry Sirinus to.

"I see what you say, young Jerzay, and I couldn't agree more. Poor Sirinus is lovely, yes, but her looks will not last a lifetime. To deny her the right to secure a husband and produce children while you were away would be nearly unlawful."

"I am glad we agree, milord. Now I am afraid I have quite overstayed my welcome here. I thank you heartily for you and your beautiful wife's hospitality, but alas, I must return to my own family's hearth to make the proper preparations for my departure."

Demetrius took the still confounded man's hand, shook it quickly, and turned to leave. He found his carriage was not yet ready. Undoubtedly, the groom Fince had been distracted from his duties by the 'pure' Sirinus. Demetrius was physically exhausted from the tales he had spun to the Master Buldoon. Where was he going to go? His family had no impending business offers outside of Wroan that required his attentions! Demetrius was brought out of his reverie by the appearance of the Lord Buldoon himself. He had clearly already broken the news to his wife and daughter. His face showed that much strain.

"My boy, does this venture, that is to say, well, it is to be profitable, yes?"

Demetrius did not lose a beat,

"Of course, milord. My step-father would not send out his only son if the venture was not to indeed be well worth the dangers and expenses"

The man smiled deeply, nodded, and was off back to his manor. Fince came up suddenly,

"Your carriage awaits, sir."

The boy practically beamed with joy. He must have heard the news as well. Well, at least somebody should profit from this web of lies, thought Demetrius.

"Thank-you, good even to you"

"And to you as well, sir"

The groom bowed deeply as Demetrius strode out to the vehicle. Somehow, he was going to have to disappear for a short while. At least long enough for the truth about fair Sirinus to come to a head.

Demetrius arrived at the Jerzay residence only to find the estate in disarray. Rather than ride out to the barn with the carriage driver, he went directly into the house. Usually he indulged his inner child and spent some time spoiling the horses with oats, but tonight something was amiss.


End file.
